Trailblazing Toyota Prius celebrates 25 years on the market
This year marks a milestone in the automotive landscape. The Toyota Prius turns 25.
"I would say the Prius is arguably one of the most important developments of this century in automotive," said Ed Kim, an industry analyst with AutoPacific.
The first Prius, a small sedan, arrived in 2000, posting amazing fuel economy numbers. I did stories explaining how a gas-electric hybrid system works. And, how it doesn't work.
"You know, you didn't have to learn how to plug in the car versus filling up. No, you just operated it like a normal car. It just got like double the gas mileage of what you were used to driving," noted Kim.
Then the second generation Prius arrived with its now-legendary hatchback shape, and it was off to the races. Well, off to the race of becoming an paragon of fuel efficiency.
"I would go so far as to say that that generation of Prius, I think, was the most iconic vehicle of the first decade of the 2000s. I mean, it was ubiquitous," said analyst Ed Kim
People either seemed to love or hate the Prius, and it worked its way into pop culture. For example Larry David showcased the car as an environmental symbol of Hollywood in his series "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Toyota sold millions of them around the world as a showcase of its hybrid technology. Then two years ago, the fifth-generation Prius arrived. More sleek than odd looking, and hitting the road in a world where having hybrid power is no longer the anomaly it used to be.
Back in the year 2000, hybrid cars were new and quite the novelty. There were only two of them available in the US; the original generation of Prius, and a small two-seater from Honda called the Insight. Today, hybrid vehicles are everywhere.
Especially coming from Toyota. Many of the brand's current models are now hybrid-only. The Prius has never been anything but a hybrid. And these days, the Sienna minivan, the Crown (in both sedan and wagon-like Signia versions), and even the stalwart Camry have hybrid power as standard. There are no longer non-hybrid versions of any of them.
Some have wondered where the Prius fits these days, since hybrid power is now available across the car world. Its role may be less important than it once was, but it's still a symbol of Toyota's pioneering move all those years ago.
So what's a fitting present for the Prius to help it celebrate the "big two-five"? How about a gallon of gasoline? That's something the Prius has always used wisely.
